


When the Absolute Worst Happens

by HonorH



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Drew is the Worst, Gen, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-23
Updated: 2017-10-23
Packaged: 2019-01-21 15:42:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,065
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12460842
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HonorH/pseuds/HonorH
Summary: Or, that time Piper wasn't available and Nico had to work with Drew, gods help them all.Companion story to "Being Us" and "The Spindle of Necessity."





	When the Absolute Worst Happens

**Author's Note:**

> So, a funny thing happened when I was working on a new story for "Stories of Us." I'd originally planned for this to be part of that collection, but it ended up not fitting because it's not really about Nico and Will. They're in it, and their relationship is in the background, but this turned out to be Drew's story. I'm calling this a companion story to the "Being Us" series and to my story "The Spindle of Necessity" (which I recently did some minor surgery on, by the way).

“Nico, you can’t do this,” Will pleaded. “Please, for the love of all the gods, there’s got to be another way!”

Nico strode determinedly on, scowling. “Do you think I’m happy about it? If you can come up with a better option in the next thirty seconds, great, but I can’t give you any more time than that.”

Will ran a hand through his wavy hair. “You’ve got to call Piper.”

“You think I didn’t think of that? It won’t work, Will. Number one, she’s still recovering from what Khione did to her. Number two, she’s recovering in New Rome with Jason, and even using the Labyrinth, it would take her hours to get back, and we need to get started five minutes ago. Number three, I’m going to need all my strength, so shadow-traveling across the country and then back again, with her in tow, is not an option. Number four, if I even tried to take her on a dangerous quest right now, Jason would go completely apeshit on me. Number five, my father was very clear that I’ll need someone who can charmspeak, and with Piper gone, there is but one option.”

With that, he knocked on the door of the Aphrodite cabin. Lacy opened it. “Hey, Nico, Will. What’s up?”

Nico drew in a deep breath, steeling himself. “Is Drew here?”

“You called?” Drew, wearing a fluffy bathrobe and feather-trimmed bedroom shoes, materialized from the depths of the cabin. She indiscreetly checked Nico out. “Hello, Nico. What can I do for you?” She glanced at Will. “Solace.”

“It’s not too late,” Will murmured.

Nico gave him a half-hearted glare and the looked back at Drew. “I need your help.”

“I’d be happy to give you a makeover,” said Drew. “The bad-boy look works, I’ve got to tell you, but the hair-”

“Not interested in your opinion of my hair,” Nico snapped, cutting her off. “You know about the quest Will, Lou and I just went on, right?”

Drew looked a bit sulky at being interrupted. “Yes, the one with the wizard and the Piper-sicle.”

“That one. My father contacted me in a dream last night and told me that there’s been another security breach in the Underworld, and this time Cerberus escaped. Or was deliberately set loose. We have to track him down, and there’s no time to waste. Dad recommended I take along someone who can charmspeak. Since Piper isn’t available, that leaves you.”

The information appeared to catch Drew off-guard. “You need me to track down your dad’s dog?”

“To help us catch him, yes,” Nico confirmed.

“Who’s ‘us’? Willy again?”

Will made a disgruntled noise. Nico gave him a warning glance. “No. I asked Xandra Vane, since she and I work well together and I know she’s got hunting and tracking experience.”

Drew gave a mocking laugh. “Xandra? She makes you look like you’ve got actual social skills.”

Nico fought his temper down. “Look, Drew, I need your help. Cerberus is the father of the hellhounds, so he’ll attract them to himself while he’s out in the world. He’ll also be completely disoriented, which will make him seriously dangerous. That’s why I need someone who can charmspeak. Your job will be to calm him enough that I can get him back home. Xandra and I will take care of the hellhounds. Will you go with us or not?”

She appeared to consider it. “How long will this take?”

“A few days at most. Father said that Cerberus emerged in Central Park, but then shadow-traveled to the Adirondack region. It makes sense; there are a lot of haunted locations there, and he’d be attracted to the energy. I can get a rough location, but we’ll probably still have to do some hiking.”

“Pff!” Drew wrinkled her nose. “I am not a hiking kind of girl.”

Nico’s sword hand was beginning to itch, he could feel Will gearing up to cast a nasty curse, and he decided it was time to draw the conversation to an end. “You know what? Forget I asked. I need someone who’ll take this seriously. Since that seems to be beyond you-”

“Hey! When did I say no?” Drew demanded. “Do you think Piper’s the only Aphrodite daughter who can do quests? Are you going to go running off after her now?”

Nico got in her face. “If Piper was available, I wouldn’t be asking you. But if you think you can make yourself useful, be ready to leave in an hour. Wash off that gallon of perfume, get some hiking gear from the camp stores, and meet us in the quad.”

“What’s wrong with my perfume?”

“The hellhounds can probably smell you from here. That’s what’s wrong with it.”

Lacy stepped in. “I’ve done some hiking, Nico. I’ll help her get ready.” She grabbed Drew and physically yanked her back into the cabin.

“It’s good to see that Lacy’s not letting Drew intimidate her anymore. Are you still going through with this epically terrible idea?” Will looked expectantly at his boyfriend.

Nico gave a resigned sigh. It was going to be a long couple of days, he could tell already.

***

An hour later, Nico was waiting in the quad with Xandra Vane, a daughter of Ares and Nico’s regular sparring partner, who was wearing a backpack and positively bristling with weapons.

“You’re shitting me,” she said.

The headache was starting. “We need her. It might not be a complete disaster.”

Xandra looked dubious. Nico didn’t blame her.

Just as he was gearing up to invade the Aphrodite cabin again, Drew emerged and was practically frog-marched across the green by Lacy and Deirdre, another of her sisters.

“I don’t see why I can’t bring along my small makeup kit,” Drew was grousing. She was wearing skinny jeans and a sickeningly pink shirt, but Lacy and Deirdre had managed to wrestle her into hiking boots and a practical, dark-green jacket, as well as a fawn-colored backpack.

“Because, Drew, dear, your small makeup kit is still the size of your bedroll, and you don’t have space,” said Deirdre, looking like she’d been fighting this battle for the past hour.

“Aside from which, I don’t think Nico and Xandra want to wait while you spend an hour on your makeup every morning,” put in Lacy.

“I have it down to forty minutes!” Drew protested.

Xandra snorted. Nico attempted to suppress his eyerolling instinct. “What about a weapon?” he asked. “You’re not terrible with a sword; you might want some Celestial bronze when we meet the hellhounds.”

“Isn’t Xandra wearing enough for all of us?” Drew snarked.

“This is for me, Precious,” said Xandra. “If I have a spare knife, I might think of throwing it your way.”

Judging by the look on Drew’s face, she’d picked up the double meaning of that sentence. “At least get a dagger,” Nico said before things could go even more downhill.

Lacy ran off toward the armory and returned a few minutes later with a long dagger and sword belt, which she buckled onto her reluctant sister. “There. Armed up and ready to go.” She gave Nico a regretful smile. “Try not to let her get killed. She’s a pain in the ass, but she’s still my sister, and occasionally, she’s even an okay person. Good luck, Drew!”

Deirdre gave Nico and Xandra the exact same smile. “Good luck to all of you.”

Will had approached during this. He glared at Drew. “Just so you know, if you get my boyfriend hurt? You’ll be speaking in limericks for the rest of your life.”

Drew gave him an extraordinarily fake smile. “I’m sure he’ll be fine, Williekins.”

Will turned to Nico. “You’ve got the first aid kit?”

“Yes, Will. With extra ambrosia. And I’ll make sure to eat well and brush my teeth and get enough sleep . . .”

“Shut up.” Will leaned in and gave him a brief, but tender, kiss. “Be successful. Come back quickly.”

“I will. Don’t worry.” Nico gave his boyfriend one last smile, and then he held out his hands to Xandra and Drew. “Time to go. We’ll use the shadow of the Demeter cabin.”

He led the girls to the shadow, and they slipped into it and away from the camp.

***

“Gods, how ever will we track him?” Xandra deadpanned as they looked down at a paw-print a small dog could have lain down in.

They were in a field somewhere in upstate. Nico could sense restless spirits about, and his intuition told him there had been fighting here. He didn’t know enough about the history of the area to tell what the fighting might have been about, but he knew the Adirondacks had seen some action during the Revolutionary War.

He shook his head, looking at the print. “That’s from an ordinary hellhound. Cerberus will have footprints twice that size.” 

Xandra shrugged, looking unimpressed, and set off, following the footprints. Nico looked over at Drew. “Follow her. I’ll bring up the rear.”

“You sure you don’t want to go first?” she asked, batting her eyelashes at him. “I was really hoping to have your rear to look at.”

“You’ll have to settle for ogling the natural beauty of this setting,” Nico said dryly. “Move.”

Drew did so, pouting. Nico kept on high alert, listening to the whispers of the spirits, aware of every shadow.

They followed the track of the hellhound for a few hours before it abruptly ended in a wooded area. Nico felt the energy. “It shadow-traveled from here.”

“Can you tell where it went?” Xandra asked.

“No. I can try to ask the spirits around here, though. It’s as good a time as any for a halt.” He sat down, shrugging off his pack. The previous summer, he’d received it as a gift from Leo. It could be used as either a duffel or a backpack with only a small modification of its straps, and it was considerably bigger on the inside.

Drew sat down as well, grumbling. She’d been doing a lot of that. She pulled out a small bag containing a compact trowel and biodegradable wipes. “Umm, what . . ?” She let it hang in the air.

Xandra rolled her eyes. “Find a spot that’s free of poison ivy. Dig a hole with the trowel. Shit in the hole. Use the wipes to clean up, or not, your call. Deposit the wipes you use in the hole. Use the trowel to cover the hole. Clear enough, Precious?”

Drew’s cheeks flared red. “Don’t call me that.” She stormed off into the woods, toilet kit in hand.

“She’s a liability,” said Xandra.

“She’s also necessary. Try not to let her get killed.” Children of Ares, Nico had discovered, didn’t do diplomacy. “I’m going to try talking to the spirits. Make sure nothing eats me while I’m meditating, okay?”

Xandra shrugged and positioned herself by his side, examining one of her daggers for nicks.

Nico sank into the shadows. He could sense the spirits and sent out a call to them. Slowly, they approached, and he was able to commune with them. Spirits didn’t communicate with words, per se, but he could understand what they wanted him to know, and right now . . .

“Ugh! That was the grossest experience of my life! I swear this squirrel was watching me.”

Nico snapped back from the gray netherworld of spirits, irked. “Trying to commune with the dead here, Drew. Do you mind?”

“Not especially.” She rifled through her backpack noisily and produced a protein bar.

Xandra raised an eyebrow, clearly asking if a murder was appropriate at this juncture. Nico shook his head minutely and went back to meditating. One of the spirits gave Nico the fuzzy mental image of a field stained with the blood of soldiers. There was a tug of direction, too.

And then, with alarming suddenness, the spirits were gone. Without consciously meaning to, Nico was on his feet, sword in hand, fully back in the world of the living.

“What?” Drew asked.

Xandra skipped asking. Her backpack hit the ground and her sword and spear were in her hands just in time for the shadows around them to explode with hellhounds.

“Explode” was the right word for it, too. The massive beasts tore apart trees as they lunged for the demigods. Nico slashed through one and pivoted to face another. It balked, snapping at him with its enormous jaws, eyes burning. He registered Xandra facing down an additional two as he dodged the hellhound’s swipe, and he brought his sword around to take off its head.

Drew screamed. A hellhound bounded at her out of the shadow of a pine tree, but she seemed frozen to the spot, unarmed and vulnerable.

Xandra’s spear sailed through the air and spitted the hellhound through the ribcage. It burst into golden dust, which swirled away on the wind.

“Zeus’s nutsack, you’re useless, Tanaka!” Xandra shouted. She stalked over to Drew, scooping up the other girl’s sword belt on the way, and rammed it into Drew’s chest. “Never leave your weapon out of reach. How did you survive this long as a demigod without knowing this?”

Drew’s face flared red. “Well, excuse me, but it’s not like I’m some muscle-headed Ares brat!”

Xandra went nose-to-nose with her. “Just say the word, and I’ll let you get eaten next time, Precious. Gods, I wish Piper was here!”

This was going south fast. Nico stepped in before Drew could make things worse. “All right, Xan, you’ve made your point. Drew, she’s right; don’t let your weapon out of arm’s reach again. I’ve got a direction, so we’re moving on now. I’ll take point. Drew, follow me. Xan, you’re bringing up the rear. Eat on the way, because we’re not stopping until nightfall.”

He could feel the girls’ hostility as he led the way. Neither spoke, for which he was grateful, but Drew was obviously fuming, and she kept throwing spiteful glances Xandra’s way when they briefly halted to refill their canteens from a stream. Fortunately, Lacy had packed water-purification tablets for Drew, who seemed unaware that drinking straight from a mountain stream could be problematic.

Soon enough, the shadows started lengthening. One of the spirits seemed to have an idea of a safe place to sleep, and Nico let it lead him up a mountain trail. Soon, they came upon an abandoned cabin in a small clearing with a stream nearby.

“That looks haunted as fuck,” commented Xandra.

“Surprisingly, it’s not,” said Nico. “Assuming we can trust the floors, it’s as good a shelter as any we’ll find.” 

The floors turned out to me more or less trustworthy, though a few floorboards had crumbled in one corner. It was a small, one-room cabin with a nearby outhouse that no one in the group seemed eager to explore.

“I have a few favors I can call in that’ll hopefully give us some peace tonight,” said Nico. “We might still need a watch rota, though.”

“What’s that?” Drew asked.

Xandra let out an explosive sigh. “How is it that you are so ignorant? Did you work at it?”

Drew’s expression turned spiteful. “Oh, I know plenty, Xan, honey. I know all about your hopeless crush on Jake Mason. Everybody knows, actually. You’re not very good at hiding it.” Xandra turned white, and Drew went on. “I can’t blame you, really. I mean, those arms! And he’s not even as hideous as most Hephaestus kids are. But, sweetie, I think he likes girls who are, you know . . . girls. That might be a bit of a tall order for you.”

Nico grabbed Xandra’s arm as she went for her sword. “Drew, shut up. Xandra, this is not the time or the place.” Gods above, he thought. How does Will manage to defuse these situations?

Xandra stopped going for her sword, much to Nico’s relief. He noticed her expression a bit late, though. Like a true Ares child, she’d just changed weapons.

“You’re on to something, Drew,” said Xandra, voice disturbingly soft. “Let’s talk about the things everybody knows. Like, for instance, the fact that you were the one who sicced Sebastian on Will Solace.”

That was news to Nico. Of course, he hadn’t been at camp at the time, and Will never talked about The Sebastian Debacle. But when he caught a glimpse of Drew’s face, he knew Xandra was telling the truth.

“Ooh, I don’t think Nico actually knew that one,” Xandra went on. “He probably doesn’t know that you also sabotaged their relationship to make Seb go through with the ‘rite of passage’ you were so intent on, because you were hoping a heartbroken Will might just go bi for you. And you’ve hated him ever since because it didn’t work.”

Nico’s good sense – they needed Drew for the capture of Cerberus – fought with his protective instincts toward Will and his growing anger. He turned toward her. “You . . . you wanted to break Will’s heart?”

Drew backed away, face white. “It was – it was a rite of passage. An ancient one.”

“Which Silena did away with.” Xandra gave a harsh laugh. “But then, you’re also the two-faced bitch who sucked up to Silena while she was alive and then trashed her after she died. You tried to wipe out every trace of her.”

“She was a traitor!” Drew shouted.

“Like you cared about that! Like you ever gave a single shit about the camp or your cabin at all!” Xandra shouted back. “Gods, we’re all just playthings to you! No, you tried to drag Silena down because you knew you could never be as good as she was! And you were right.” Xandra took a step forward. “No one will ever love you the way they loved Silena. You’re a daughter of Aphrodite, and no one loves you.”

That was enough to break through even Nico’s fury. He grabbed Xandra’s arm and dragged her from the cabin. “That’s enough!” He almost absently batted away the dagger she’d drawn on him, knowing it was an instinctive move for a daughter of Ares. “Walk the perimeter. Now.”

“She’s a fucking liability,” Xandra hissed. “You can’t trust her.”

Nico got right in her face, the air around him dropping ten degrees in temperature. “Walk. The damn. Perimeter.”

Xandra pulled away and lifted her chin as if to say she was walking the perimeter because it was her idea and no one else’s. She drew her sword and melted into the shadows almost as completely as Nico could.

Nico drew a deep breath. Really, how did Will do it? He could talk anyone down and make them see sense. At least Ares kids responded well to anyone they knew could out-fight them . . .

Drew was another story. Nico forced down his anger about what Xandra had revealed and resolutely walked back into the cabin.

It was empty. Drew was gone.

Perfect.

***

Drew plunged down the ever-darkening mountain path, cheeks burning, tears in her eyes. She knew she was being irrational, but facing Nico and Xandra again seemed impossible, worse than anything she’d face out here.

_“You’re a daughter of Aphrodite, and no one loves you.”_

For a moment, she was back in her cabin, staring down the length of Katoptris.

_“You’ve turned this cabin into a dictatorship, Drew. Silena Beauregard knew better than that.”_

For a moment, she was backstage at one of her dad’s fashion shows, excited at the prospect of walking the runway for the first time. Until she overheard a couple of the models talking.

_“Another nepotism model. Just what the fashion world needs!”_

She stumbled over a tree root and barely caught herself. In her mind, she heard Will Solace’s scornful laugh.

_“You think that’s how it works, Drew? Even if I were attracted to girls, I’d see right through you and your mean-girl tricks. Someday, you’ll get your comeuppance, and I pray to the gods I get to witness it.”_

She swiped at her face, hating the tears. She remembered _obaachan’s_ lullaby, from back before it was just her and her dad, and her dad wasn’t there much.

_“Odoma kanjin -kanjin,_  
_Anhito-tacha yoka-shu_  
_Yoka-hu yoka obi,_  
_Yoka kimon.”_

She was part of the rich family, with their fine clothes, now. But sometimes, _obaachan_ would sing the old lyrics:

_“Nenne shita ko no_  
_Kawaii sa, muzo sa._  
_Okite naku ko no tsura niku sa._  
_Okite naku ko no tsura niku sa.”_

Back then, the lyrics about the “ugly” crying child had made young Drew giggle, because they seemed silly. Part of her must have taken them to heart, though, because she hadn’t cried in front of anybody for years now.

Not since Silena’s death, anyway.

Nico emerged from the shadows ahead of her, and she halted. The dim, yet growing moonlight picked out and highlighted his spare, cold beauty. His sword glowed with a purple light at his side.

“That’s far enough, Drew. Time to go back to the cabin. There are hellhounds out here,” he said.

“Better than that hell-bitch back there!” Drew spat.

Nico gave a short laugh. “Careful. She might like that label.” He held out his hand. “Come back willingly, or I will make you.”

 _“LEAVE ME ALONE!”_ she screamed, pouring charmspeak into her words.

For a moment, Nico swayed in the dark. Then his face set, and he grabbed her arm. In a moment, they were back in the cabin.

Drew gave a cry of pure frustration. She struggled her way free of her backpack and dumped it on the floor, aware she was throwing a tantrum and unable to stop it. She stormed to the front of the cabin and threw herself down on the step, crying like a child, too exhausted, physically and emotionally, to hold it in any longer. Her whole body hurt; she exercised daily, but wasn’t used to hiking for hours on end. Her feet were screaming, her back was on fire, and now she had a pounding headache. She was far from her bed, her skin and hair felt greasy, and she’d thoroughly humiliated herself in front of a boy she found terribly attractive.

Worse, somewhere in her mind was a copy of her own personality taunting her that Piper would have handled all this without a problem.

No wonder no one loved her. She was even a bitch to herself.

With a sigh, Nico sat down beside her. He pressed a pack of tissues into her hand.

Once she’d calmed down enough to speak, Drew asked, voice unsteady, “Aren’t you mad at me about Will?”

“Of course I am,” Nico said. “Heartbreak hurts, and the fact that you deliberately inflicted it on him for shits and giggles is inexcusable. And get this through your head: Will is mine.” Drew cringed away from the sudden blaze of fury in Nico’s eyes. “If you _ever_ try playing games with him again, I will personally make you regret it.”

“S-sorry,” she stammered.

Nico looked away, into the moonlit shadows. “I’m angry because it’s Will, but . . . I can’t judge you morally. I don’t have that right, not after some of the things I’ve done. So no, I’m not going to hurt you, and I’m not going to let you leave this quest. We still need you. And in spite of everything, I think you can do this.”

Drew didn’t have any idea how to respond to that, so she didn’t. She and Nico sat in silence for a few minutes. He was the one who eventually broke it.

“Xandra was wrong, wasn’t she? You did love Silena.” Nico turned his piercing eyes on Drew again. “You loved her and mourned her and felt betrayed by her. Complex grief is always the hardest. That’s why you tore her down, wasn’t it? Because she hurt you, and you never got a chance to straighten it out with her.”

Drew couldn’t summon up the energy to tell him to get out of her head. “Yes,” she said simply.

She remembered Silena, remembered idolizing her. Remembered how Silena had seemingly effortlessly made everyone around her feel loved and beautiful. When news of Silena’s death, how she’d died and why, reached the cabin, Drew had cycled through more emotions than she’d known she could have. The one that now stuck out to her most was fear. After Silena’s death, Drew had become senior counselor by default, and she had known she wouldn’t be able to be like Silena.

So she’d changed everything, turned the cabin into a microcosm of the vicious world of high society and fashion she’d inhabited as the daughter of Derek (nee Daisuke) Tanaka. By making everyone else compete for her favor, she’d secured her own position.

At least until Piper came along. Drew’s charmspeak was the one thing that had been hers alone. Not even Silena had it. But Piper did. And when Piper had returned from her quest, full of confidence, Drew had known she was outclassed.

And everyone else, even the ones Drew had thought were loyal to her, like Deirdre, Torrance and Sebastian, threw her over without a second’s hesitation. She comforted herself with the thought that they’d do the same to Piper if someone took her in a challenge, but something told her Piper actually did have their loyalty. Drew had ruled with fear; Piper ruled with love.

The bitch.

“You’ve lost someone else, too,” Nico went on. “A grandfather, I think.”

“Yes.” And when he’d gone back to Kumamoto to die in his hometown, _obaachan_ and Aunt Aiko had gone with him. Just like that, the three people who had loved Drew and doted on her from the time she was a baby were gone. She hadn’t seen _obaachan_ since the funeral. Aunt Aiko had once met her in Tokyo when her father had done a show there. Just a few hours, a bowl of ramen and a hug for _Doruu-chan_ before being swept back into her father’s wake . . .

“Xandra was wrong about something else, too,” said Nico. “Piper loves you. She thinks you have potential. I think she’s right. I remember that when Eliza died, you were the one who came to my cabin and made up her face. You didn’t have to do that; no one would have expected you to. It was your way of honoring the dead, wasn’t it?”

Drew played with one of her rings, feeling almost more uncomfortable now than she had when Nico had basically threatened her over her treatment of Will. “Well, she spent time in our cabin because she was friends with Chloe and Hyun, and anybody else in our cabin would’ve completely overdone it, and that’s just bad taste, so . . .” She shrugged. Truthfully, she hadn’t had more than a glancing acquaintance with Eliza, but the loss of someone so young had hit her unexpectedly hard. Maybe because Eliza was only a little older than the youngest siblings in the Aphrodite cabin.

_Piper loves you._

The worst thing was, Drew knew it. Knew Piper would help her with anything. Piper had tried to engage her over their mother, over the fact that they could both charmspeak, over a lot of things, and Drew was the one who kept her at a distance. Piper even trusted her with the Aphrodite cabin in her absence, even though she’d thoroughly disapproved of the way Drew had run it before.

The bitch.

And then Nico gently took her hand. The sadness of her grandfather’s funeral, of having to leave the family members who’d loved her unconditionally, swept over her again, but somehow, it was okay. The memory of losing Silena flared up briefly, but then settled back down to a soft aching, melancholy, but not as painful. Nico was sharing in her grief, she realized, and in doing so, he was making it . . . better.

Another tear spilled down her face. She didn’t deserve his kindness, but she didn’t have it in her to fight it, either. She looked over at him. His face caught the moonlight, etching his features in silver and black.

“Your sorrows are safe with me,” he murmured.

For a long moment, they were both silent. Then Nico stood up and tugged at her hand. “Come on. Leo gave me this contraption he swore would make dinner for us, and I’d like a witness while I test it out.”

“Not hungry,” Drew mumbled into her latest tissue.

“To quote my boyfriend, ‘Too bad. You’re eating anyway.’” He tugged her hand again, and since it would have been more effort to fight him, Drew gave in.

Nico chose a spot in the middle of the cabin floor. He set up a lantern and removed a complex piece of Celestial bronze that looked a bit like a miniature folding table from his bag. He set this down on the floor, removed a small clamp from the top, and jumped back as it unfolded in a few jerky motions. When it was done, a little camp stove with a pot of soup boiling merrily away on it sat in the light from the lantern.

“Huh,” Nico commented. “All right, then.” He pulled a couple of bowls out of his bag, as well as a loaf of crusty Italian bread, and served up dinner. “Minestrone. The little maniac got it right.”

“Will Xandra be joining us?” Drew asked, trying and failing to sound casual. She wasn’t looking forward to seeing the daughter of Ares again.

“Maybe. She’s still out there, not in any mortal danger. She’ll come back for dinner in her own time. Or kill and eat a badger raw, whichever.”

Much to her surprise, Drew laughed at that. “Don’t tell me you’ve developed a sense of humor.”

“I blame the many, many dorks I hang out with.” Nico chewed a bite of bread. “The Apollo cabin alone has twisted me beyond repair.”

“I was the one who suggested to Will that he should introduce you to all the music you missed,” Drew blurted. “He thought it was a good idea even if I was the one to think of it.” Sweet Eros, she was positively babbling, and she couldn’t stop. “We all – I mean, all of us in the Aphrodite cabin – we thought you two would make a great couple, so I . . . suggested . . . um, anyway, it was my idea.” She shoved a spoonful of soup into her mouth in the hopes that it would make her shut up for a moment.

Fortunately, Nico didn’t seem angry. In fact, there was a fond little smile on his face. “Really? I guess I’ve got to thank you, then. Getting to know Will and his crazy sibs is one of my favorite memories. And they seem to put up with me well enough, too.”

Drew gave an unbelieving laugh. “Put up with you? They freaking _love_ you, di Angelo. If Will ever breaks up with you, they’ll disown him and adopt you.”

“Come to think of it, Mia said almost the same thing to Will one time,” Nico mused. “She said if we ever split, I get custody of them. Will agreed to that a bit too quickly, and then there were flying stuffed animals.”

Xandra chose that moment to return, and Drew decided the best thing to do would be to eat and not, under any circumstances, engage her. Xandra didn’t even acknowledge her, anyway; the daughter of Ares got a bowl of soup and a huge chunk of bread and started devouring it.

Drew finished her meal quickly and went outside to pee and do a bit of cleanup before bed. She brushed her teeth and used some wipes to clean her face. Briefly, she missed her Sephora and Lush collections, but honestly, she was too tired to even think about that much.

There was a soft murmur of voices inside, and Drew moved close enough to hear without being seen.

“—really think she won’t crap out on us when we meet the beast?” Xandra was saying.

“I think she’s got potential,” said Nico. “There are some depths there. She just keeps them well hidden.”

“If you’re willing to stake your life on it . . .” Xandra trailed off, sounding unconvinced.

“Right now, she’s the best bet we have for pulling this off. The backup plan . . . if we have to kill him, I need you to do it. I won’t use Stygian iron on him; he can’t re-form if I do, and I won’t do that to him.”

Perhaps it was just the conversation she’d had with Nico earlier, but his voice seemed to her to have a harmonic of sadness to it, like he was discussing putting down a pet.

Xandra took it with equanimity. “Okay. Keep him busy, and I’ll do the necessary.”

“I appreciate it, Xan. I’ll appreciate it more if you can lay off Drew, though. I don’t want another scene like we had this evening.”

“Talk to her about it. I won’t start anything, but you know I’ll finish it.”

Drew heard Nico groan. “How does Will do it? I need to find out.”

She decided it might be a good time to interrupt the conversation and re-entered the cabin. “I think I’m going to go to bed now,” she announced.

“Good idea,” said Nico. “I think we’ll all be able to sleep undisturbed, actually; the spirits are willing to set up a barrier that the hellhounds won’t be able to shadow-travel past, and I’ll know immediately if they see anything.”

Drew nodded and took off her hiking boots. Her feet hurt like she’d been standing in five-inch heels all night, but gods bless Lacy, she’d insisted on applying something called “moleskin” to Drew’s feet, and she had no blisters. Lacy had also included ibuprofen in Drew’s pack, and Drew swallowed three of them before tucking into her sleeping bag. The hard floor wasn’t at all comfortable, but Drew was so exhausted she fell asleep within minutes.

***

Xandra was the one who woke Nico up the next morning, and he took it upon himself to wake Drew. Somewhat to his surprise, she took it without complaint and immediately set about preparing for the day. While Nico prepared coffee, which he was not prepared to face the day without, she visited the outside, packed up her bag, reapplied moleskin to her feet, and deftly coiled her hair and pinned it neatly to the back of her head.

Once she’d had a breakfast bar and a few sips of coffee, she asked, “So, what’s the plan?”

Xandra had wandered back over as well after refilling all of the canteens at the stream. Nico accepted his from her before speaking. “I think I know where Cerberus is. I had a dream about a field full of dead soldiers, Greeks and Romans. I believe it was from the Revolutionary War; the Romans fought on the side of the English, the Greeks for America.”

“Had to be a minor skirmish,” said Xandra as she strapped on her knives. “I know all the major battle sites in New York State. We’re not too far from Fort Ticonderoga, geographically speaking.”

“Minor or not, there was an unusual concentration of Greek and Roman deaths, and Cerberus is attracted to that. He’ll seek the familiar, even while he’s out in the world.” He packed away his coffee maker. “We need to be careful today. I’m easy to spot for hellhounds, unfortunately, and I don’t have the authority over them here that I would in the Underworld. I’ll be on point. Drew, you’re behind me. Xan, bring up the rear. Have a weapon ready at all times.”

Nico was gratified to see that Drew had her dagger in hand as they followed the forest paths toward where his instincts told him Cerberus would be.

They’d been going for about an hour when Nico felt an abrupt shift in the shadows. “They’re here!” he shouted as he shucked his backpack. And then the hellhounds were upon them.

To his relief, there weren’t many of them. He cut down two in short order, absently registering the sounds of Xandra battling off to the side, and then whirled and stabbed a third.

Drew shrieked, but as Nico whipped around to address whatever was attacking her, he was met with the sight of a hellhound dissolving into dust, her arm and dagger fully inside its mouth. Xandra dispatched the last hound almost casually, and there was a moment of perfect stillness.

Drew broke it. “I’m bleeding,” she stated, sounding more than a little shocked. She was staring down at her arm, which hadn’t moved an inch.

Xandra was closer, and she swept her eyes over Drew’s arm. “Yep. Congratulations, Precious; I think you just got your first scar.” She sheathed her sword and efficiently stripped Drew’s pack off.

Nico grabbed his pack and fetched the first-aid kit Will had packed for him. By the time he’d fetched it, Xandra had gotten Drew’s jacket off as well. It looked to Nico like one of the hellhound’s teeth had scored into her arm before she’d killed it, leaving a deep furrow from just above her elbow almost to her shoulder.

“Keep your arm up,” Xandra ordered her, moving her to a fallen tree where she could sit down. Drew didn’t protest. She looked pale enough that Nico was worried she might faint.

“Xan, stand guard while I get her patched up, would you?” Nico requested. “Drew, let me know if you’re going to pass out.”

That seemed to bring back a little of Drew’s innate haughtiness. “I don’t faint, di Angelo.” She blinked hard, swaying just a little, but stayed upright.

Nico’s first move was to rinse the wound with unicorn draught. Injuries from Underworld creatures could leave residual darkness in the system, which would make Drew a target for more attacks. Sure enough, a dark little cloud dissipated as the liquid mixed with her blood.

He gave her a piece of ambrosia to eat as he treated the wound, cleaning it and sprinkling in powdered unicorn horn. To his relief, it wasn’t as deep as it had looked at first. Nico’s hands moved automatically as he applied a dressing.

“You’re good at that,” Drew said, still sounding shocked, but less faint than before.

“I don’t go to the infirmary to flirt with Will. Well, not just to flirt with Will. Drink a little unicorn draught.” He handed her the bottle.

She drank obediently, but wrinkled her nose. “Ugh, that stuff is bad!”

“Yeah, but it’ll clear out any residual darkness in your system. How are you feeling?”

Drew pouted a little as she took in the state of her shirt, which had a small tear in the shoulder and a few dribbles of blood down the side. “I liked this shirt!”

Xandra actually chuckled. “I think she’s back to normal.”

It appeared Drew had won at least a little respect from the daughter of Ares by getting a kill and scoring a wound. Really, it wasn’t much – the hellhound had basically impaled itself on her dagger – but Nico was reassured that she’d kept her head and was dealing pretty well with the resulting injury.

He helped her back into her coat. “That shoulder will be painful.”

“Well, let’s face it, I’m not exactly the warrior of the group. Thanks, Xandra.” The last words were spoken to Xandra, who’d just helped her back into her pack. “I’ll be fine. Let’s move on.”

“As you wish.” Nico led them on.

***  
In truth, Drew was still freaking out just a little on the inside. Raising the dagger had been an automatic response, and she was just glad the hellhound was coming at her head-on. She was lucky to have escaped only with a wounded shoulder. The taste of bean paste and sweet potato lingered on her tongue from the ambrosia, taking her back to celebrating the new year with her family when she was little with obaachan’s freshly-made _ikinari dango_.

She hadn’t thought about them this much in years. It had to be Nico’s presence making her remember her losses. Death and grief and love, all bound together . . .

Gods, she’d start writing emo poetry at this rate. She shook off the thoughts and kept moving.

As they came around a bend, Nico suddenly stopped. “He’s close,” Nico whispered, and he slipped out of his backpack and placed it to the side of the trail. Drew and Xandra followed his example.

Drew wasn’t sure if she could use her arm at all; her shoulder felt tight and swollen. Nonetheless, she drew her dagger as she followed Nico, who was moving cautiously forward.

There was more light ahead as the trees thinned. Nico slowed even further as they approached it. Finally, he paused at the edge of the clearing.

The light was playing tricks. Drew blinked, unable to make heads or tails out of what she was seeing. There was some kind of movement going on among the sunlight and shadows, but it seemed to stop whenever she tried to look right at it.

Nico’s cold hand gripped hers. “See him,” he hissed.

Abruptly, Drew’s vision cleared. There were numerous hellhounds in the clearing, but what immediately drew her eye was Cerberus himself.

“Huge” didn’t do him justice. He would have dwarfed an African elephant. She was supposed to charmspeak that?

And then a hellhound spotted the demigods. It let out a deafening bay, and the rest of the hounds turned on them with a snarl. Cerberus let out an earth-shaking growl and stalked toward them, the other hounds at his heels.

“Oh, shit,” Xandra cursed. Drew couldn’t disagree.

“Drew, now would be a good time!” Nico snapped.

Drew really wanted to scream and run, but there was no way she was going to abandon her – well, not exactly friends, but definitely comrades.

So she shouted the first thing that came to mind with a bunch of dogs charging her way:

“SIT!”

To her shock, every canine butt hit the ground, including Cerberus’s. His middle head tilted to one side as it looked at her. The other two kept snarling.

“Good! Keep talking,” Nico whispered.

What to talk about? Drew’s mind raced. She suddenly remembered something Piper had said about charmspeak. It was easier, she’d said, to persuade than to force. Find something that the other person or monster really wanted to do, and turn them that way.

So, what did Cerberus want?

She remembered listening to Nico and Xandra the previous night when Nico had asked Xandra to kill Cerberus, if necessary. Nico, Drew realized, cared about Cerberus. Her instincts told her that Nico actually loved him, and if Cerberus was anything like an ordinary dog, he loved Nico, too.

Before she could second-guess herself, she pointed at Nico. “Look, it’s Nico! You know Nico, right? He’s your pal, isn’t he?”

The head facing Nico’s way stopped snarling, and its nose twitched. That was promising. But then the middle head started snarling at Xandra, along with the third head.

“Don’t pay attention to her, she’s not important,” said Drew. She heard an unbelieving snort from Xandra’s direction, but the charmspeak worked. One head was now facing Nico, and the other two were looking at her. Fortunately, the hellhounds appeared to be taking their cues from Cerberus and weren’t attacking.

Keep talking, thought Drew. “Hey, boy, don’t you want to go home? Back where it’s nice and, um, dark?”

“Good,” Nico murmured.

The head facing Nico started panting, its jaw dropping in a doggy grin. The middle one seemed more relaxed, engaged as it watched Drew. Feeling a bit braver, Drew smiled at him. “Yeah, you’re a good dog, aren’t you? You want to go home with Nico. You want to see your daddy and mommy again, right?” She silently prayed that Hades and Persephone wouldn’t take offense to this.

There was a yelp from somewhere behind Cerberus as his huge tail knocked a hellhound over. When it wagged the other way, it shattered a small birch tree.

“That’s good, boy, that’s good,” Nico said, sheathing his sword. He approached Cerberus cautiously. “It’s okay, buddy. I’m going to get you home.”

One huge tongue flicked out and washed Nico’s face in one stroke. He laughed. “Okay, enough of that.” He reached up and scratched one of the huge ears. “Let’s go home.”

It was still early enough in the day that the shadows were long. Nico stepped into Cerberus’s, and demigod and dog flickered into shadow. The other hellhounds, seeing this, started seeking shadows and disappearing into them. In a few short minutes, the clearing was truly empty.

“Huh.” Xandra sheathed her sword, though she kept her spear on hand. “Fuck me sideways. It worked.”

“Yep.” The word caused both girls to jump. Drew nearly wet herself. Nico emerged from the shadows behind them, carrying their packs. “It worked great. Cerberus is back where he’s supposed to be. This quest is officially over.”

Drew suddenly felt like she was about to pass out, throw up, burst into tears, or perhaps all three at once. The world was spinning weirdly as she took her pack, and she fought down nausea. She’d never used that much power before, let alone when she was already exhausted.

Dimly, she heard Nico say they could return to camp, and she let herself be led into a shadow. There was a cold, squeezing sensation, and then they were back in bright sunlight at Camp Half-Blood, right outside the Big House.

Will Solace called Nico’s name and came running toward them.

“Will!” Drew said. “I’m actually really happy to see you right now.”

And then she fainted.

***

Drew came back to consciousness slowly, savoring the feeling of a soft bed beneath her. Her shoulder ached a little, but it wasn’t bad. Mostly, she felt limp and wrung out. Also, someone was whispering near her.

She opened her eyes to discover that she was in the infirmary with curtains around her bed, and an assortment of her siblings was sitting on chairs or perched on the side of her bed.

“Drew! You’re awake!” cried Valentina. “How are you feeling? Are you okay?”

“We heard you were back, and that you collapsed,” Lacy put in. “We were worried.”

“ ‘M okay,” Drew said. Or tried to say, anyway. Her mouth was completely dry. “Water?”

Lacy fetched a cup of water with a straw in it from Drew’s bedside, and Drew drained it.

“Nico said you did good. That’s practically raving, for him,” said Lacy.

“He was headed to his cabin when he spotted Lacy and let her know you were in the infirmary,” said Deirdre.

“Will said he wants to keep you here overnight, so we thought you might like some creature comforts,” said Valentina. She produced a basket from under the bed. “Ta-da!”

Mitchell lifted a couple of items out of it. “Lush bath products, your toiletries, a nightgown, and your favorite bedroom slippers.”

Drew was genuinely touched. She wouldn’t have thought her siblings would care enough to come see her in the infirmary, let alone be thoughtful enough to make up a basket for her. And it was one of Valentina’s custom jobs, too. The girl was a force to be reckoned with when she got her hands on a glue gun and ribbons.

“Guys, thank you so much. That’s – I really appreciate it.” Drew pushed herself up a little to see it better and discovered that she hurt literally everywhere.

“Drew, expressing appreciation?” Torrance asked unbelievingly. “What, were you kidnapped by aliens and replaced with a pod person out there?”

Drew glared at him. “I just charmspoke a huge Underworld monster, Torrance. Don’t press your luck.”

The others laughed. “Yep, it’s still Drew, all right,” said Lacy.

Will came around the curtain. “Okay, guys, I need a little room while I examine her.”

Valentina squeezed her hand. “You’ll have to tell us all about it later, okay?”

The Aphrodite siblings cleared out, and Will pulled up a chair. “I need to touch you to see how you’re doing. Is that okay?”

In spite of her past with Will, Drew knew he’d never do anything to compromise someone’s well-being, even hers. “Yeah, of course,” she said.

Will took one of her hands in his and pressed the fingers of his other hand against her forehead, then the base of her throat. When he touched her, the warmth of his hands seemed to diffuse the soreness in her muscles.

The way that Nico’s touch had eased her sorrow.

It occurred to Drew that they were a better match than anyone had known. Still, she felt a little smug for having been the first one to notice their chemistry.

After a few moments, Will removed his hands. “Well, the good news is that the wound on your shoulder is healing nicely. It will scar – I can’t prevent that – but not badly. Other than that, you used a lot of power, which is probably why you passed out, and you have lactic acid buildup in your muscles.”

“What’s that?” Drew asked.

“It’s why you’re probably incredibly sore at the moment.”

“Oh, that.” Drew shifted, setting off another wave of pain, and she groaned. “It’s not like I never exercise. Why am I so sore now?”

“Take your pick. You’re not used to carrying around a heavy backpack, you’re not used to walking for most of the day, you’re not used to the changes in elevation, you’re not used to sleeping on a hard surface . . . you get the picture.” Will smiled sympathetically. “On the other hand, my boyfriend said you did good. You should feel good about that. And . . . thank you for helping him.”

Drew had no idea what to say to that. She and Will had been butting heads for years, something she knew was down to her and The Sebastian Debacle. He was never anything but caring as a healer, of course, but there was a definite thaw going on in their relationship.

“He’s really something, isn’t he?” she said, surprising herself.

That got her one of Will’s sunshine smiles. “Yeah. He is.”

“Not planning to make a move on him, of course,” she clarified quickly. “I mean, he’s totally in love with you, and I am not looking to get rejected by another gay guy at camp.”

Will laughed. Not a scornful laugh, but one full of genuine humor. “Gods, Drew, never change.” 

A little laugh bubbled out of Drew in response. “How are he and Xandra, anyway?”

“Nico went to his cabin to rest; he used a lot of power, too. When I asked Xandra if she needed anything, she just grunted and made a beeline for the mess hall.” Will gave Drew a penetrating look. “By the way, you can go back to your cabin if you want. Nico thought you might like some time to yourself, though.”

Time to herself. That actually sounded good, for once. She wasn’t normally one for introspection, but there were things to think about. Of course Nico would’ve known. “Yeah, he’s right.” She shifted again, trying to find a more comfortable position. “Of course, the bathtub in my cabin sounds really, really good, too.”

Will chuckled. “The dressing on your shoulder is waterproof. How about I prescribe you a soak in our therapeutic hot tub right here in the infirmary?”

That sounded positively orgasmic. “Gods bless you, Will Solace. I will never say another bad thing about you again in my life.”

“Never say never.” Will stood up. “Let’s get you something to eat, first. I also want you to drink a lot of water; hydration will help your muscle soreness. I’ll put in that order for the hot tub with Epsom salts, and there’s no reason you can’t use some of your smelly Lush stuff, too.”

He turned to leave, and something suddenly occurred to Drew. “Hey, Will, you and Jake Mason are friends, aren’t you?”

Will looked back at her. “We do have a certain bro-ing acquaintance, yes. Why?”

“How does he feel about, say, girls who could break every bone in his body?”

“That would be his exact type.” Will’s eyes narrowed. “Why?”

“Let’s just say a certain daughter of Ares really needs a boyfriend. Like, really.” Off Will’s skeptical look, she said, “I hope you didn’t think that just because I went on a quest, I was going to let you start calling any other girl the absolute worst.”

Will gave her an almost affectionate smile. “Gods forbid.”

He left, and a few minutes later, a dryad delivered a chicken Waldorf salad, one of Drew’s favorites. As she dug in, a small card fell out of Valentina’s basket. Drew fetched it and opened it up.

“Home is the people who love you,” it read, with a stylized dove instead of a signature.

Drew’s brow furrowed. She didn’t recognize the handwriting, and as a regular contributor to the Book (the Aphrodite Cabin’s journal of the state of ‘ships at Camp Half-Blood), she’d gotten good at identifying the handwriting of her siblings.

Was it a message from . . . her mom? And if so, what did it mean?

If home was the people who loved you, then home, for Drew, wasn’t in the Hamptons. It was in a little house on the Kyushu coast, with _obaachan_ and Aunt Aiko, who had told her she’d always be welcome. Drew abruptly decided she’d talk her father into funding a gap year for her in Kumamoto. Sure, she’d need to brush up her Japanese, but Ken Ishigawa and Hikaru Sano were already helping Alice Miyazawa keep from losing hers. Drew could ask to join them.

The decision felt good. Drew wasn’t going to chase her father anymore. The Daddy Issues in the Aphrodite cabin alone could fill a whole subscription, and Drew regretted to say she was no exception. Everyone had their way of dealing, and hers had been to try to insert herself into his world in the hopes that he’d see her for who she was. It hadn’t worked so far, and she doubted it would in the future.

So, screw it. She wouldn’t be Derek Tanaka’s wannabe-model daughter, begging for scraps of his approval. What she’d be, she didn’t know, but whatever she was, it had to start from home and the people who loved her unconditionally.

And maybe, somewhere along the way, she’d figure out what it meant to be a daughter of the love goddess.

**Author's Note:**

> 1\. Obaachan: affectionate term for "grandmother"
> 
> 2\. Obaachan's lullaby is the Itsuki Lullaby. The translation for the verses she sings:
> 
> I am from the poor families,  
> They are from the rich families.  
> The rich people wear good belts,  
> Wear good clothes.
> 
> And the original lyrics:
> 
> The sleeping child's  
> Cuteness and Innocent look!  
> The crying child's ugly look,  
> The crying child's ugly look.
> 
> 3\. Ikinari dango are sweet dumplings made with bean paste and sweet potato, and they're a regional specialty in Kumamoto, Japan.


End file.
